Written Answers Friday 12 June 2009

Scottish Executive

Adoption

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions Scottish ministers have had with UK ministers regarding the impact of the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 on publicly funded Roman Catholic adoption agencies in Scotland.

Adam Ingram: Following the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 coming into force, the UK Government commissioned an independent review into their impact on faith-based adoption agencies. This assessment took place during the transitional period given to faith-based adoption agencies. The assessment reports to an Inter-Ministerial Reference Group which considers the report; Scottish ministers are represented on this group.

  The assessment considers the impact that the provisions of the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 have on faith-based adoption agencies. During the discussions at these meetings Scottish ministers have made clear the feelings expressed by the Scottish Parliament during the passage of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007, that it is right and proper that same sex couples are entitled to be considered for adoption, but equally, faith-based adoption agencies should be able to continue their valuable work.

Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it continues to support all of the provisions in the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007.

Adam Ingram: Yes. Secondary legislation relating to the Act has been introduced in Parliament during the last two months and the Act will come fully into force on 28 September 2009.

Agriculture

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18812 by Richard Lochhead on 8 January 2009, what progress it has made in implementing the 16 of the 17 recommendations made in the report, A review of the European Union Agricultural Subsidy Appeals Procedure in Scotland, that it has accepted and when an announcement will be made of its detailed proposals for reform and for setting up an independent appeals procedure.

Richard Lochhead: From the 1 October the Scottish Land Court will take over the responsibility for administering a new streamlined EU agricultural subsidy appeals procedure. Under this new arrangement the government and the appellant will now be on an equal footing in all appeal cases and the process will be independent and quicker. I announced this change, which addressed the main recommendations contained in the Report A Review of the European Union Agricultural Subsidy Appeals Procedure in Scotland , in my speech to the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Scotland’s AGM in February. This fundamental change to the appeals procedure has been the main focus of our efforts.

  Work is on-going on how we take forward the other recommendations contained in the report which covered areas like creating greater dialogue between government and farmers and improving our application forms and guidance.

  On the latter, a great deal is already done along the lines suggested in the report and we will continue to build on current practises. A recommendation was also made that we encourage greater use of electronic submission of claims. This has been an action for us for some years. In 2008, 28% of all single application forms were submitted electronically which has risen to just under 32% in 2009. We will continue to develop and promote this means of delivery.

  I will make a further announcement on the details of the new arrangements in advance of the handover of responsibility to the Scottish Land Court.

Alcohol Misuse

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to NHS boards and local partnerships on alcohol and drugs with regard to parental alcohol misuse and the need to identify and address the impact on children and families.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the £36 million announced in its news release of 13 May 2009 for NHS boards to identify and help people with alcohol problems will be spent on addressing the needs of children and other family members of users.

Shona Robison: On 13 May, I announced a total of £36 million across Scotland in 2009-10 for NHS boards to tackle alcohol misuse and alcohol-related harm. This is a further 45% increase on our record increase of 150% in 2008-09.

  This will enable boards to invest in achieving the NHS target on delivering alcohol brief interventions and enable Alcohol and Drug Action Teams (to be replaced by Alcohol and Drug Partnerships) to expand and develop prevention, support and treatment services for alcohol misuse.

  Decisions on how to spend these investments are made by local partnerships. Scottish Government guidance is that such decisions should be based on assessment of local need, taking into account health inequalities and the direction we have set out in our national Alcohol Framework and the new joint Framework for Local Partnerships on Alcohol and Drugs issued by the Scottish Government and COSLA. Both frameworks highlight the need to address the needs of Children Affected by Parental Substance Misuse and support families and communities.

Early Years Framework

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-21716 by Adam Ingram on 18 March 2009, whether it will publish its work on the development of appropriate local indicators, specifically covering children’s involvement in play and physical activity and, if so, when this will be published.

Adam Ingram: Work on the development of appropriate local indicators to support the early years framework, including play and physical activity, is on-going. We plan to publish the findings in the autumn.

Eating Disorders

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many under-18s have been diagnosed with eating disorders in the NHS Lothian area in each of the last five years.

Shona Robison: Information on the total number of people in Scotland aged under 18 diagnosed with an eating disorder (for example, anorexia, bulimia, or other psychological eating disorders) has been presented in S3W-24165, answered on 3 June 2009.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

  Several sources of information can be used to identify patients who have been diagnosed with an eating disorder. Practice team information (PTI) is obtained from a sample of Scottish GP practices. However, the number of participating practices is too small to allow estimates to be made for individual NHS board areas.

  The numbers of patients aged under 18 years resident in NHS Lothian, whose eating disorder resulted in admission to acute (non-obstetric, non-psychiatric) or psychiatric hospitals, are shown in the following tables. Note: Patients who are exclusively treated in an outpatient setting are not included in these figures.

  Table 1. Number of NHS Lothian patients aged less than 18 years treated in acute hospitals for an eating disorder diagnosis: Financial years ending 31 March 2004 to 2008:

  

 Year
 2004
 2005
 2006
 2007
 2008


 Number
 4
 8
 9
 7
 6



  Note: Inpatient discharges from acute (non-obstetric, non-psychiatric) hospitals can be identified from SMR01 returns (Scottish Morbidity Record 01).

  Table 2. Number of NHS Lothian patients aged less than 18 years treated in psychiatric hospitals for an eating disorder diagnosis: Financial years ending 31 March 2004 to 2008:

  

 Year
 2004
 2005
 2006
 2007
 2008


 Number
 5
 6
 8
 7
 9



  Source: Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland.

  Note: Inpatient discharges from psychiatric specialties can be identified from SMR04 returns (Scottish Morbidity Record 04).

Health

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to introducing legislation to prevent people under the age of 18 from gaining access to coin-operated sunbeds.

Shona Robison: The Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008 contains provisions to regulate the use, sale and hire of sunbeds including prohibiting the use of sunbeds by under 18s and prohibiting the use of unsupervised sunbed parlours. These provisions will ensure that under 18s will not have access to coin operated equipment.

  The Act received Royal Assent on 16 July 2008, and it is anticipated that the sunbed provisions will come into force in November 2009.

Housing

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to use the Barnett consequentials arising from housing spending in the 2009-10 UK Budget.

Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24523 on 10 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Housing

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will channel the Barnett consequentials arising from housing spending in the 2009-10 UK Budget into the 2009-10 Affordable Housing Investment Programme.

Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24523 on 10 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Housing

Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities will benefit from the Barnett consequentials arising from housing spending in the 2009-10 UK Budget.

Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24523 on 10 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children aged (a) 16 or 17, (b) 12 to 15 and (c) under 12 have their DNA profiles retained in the Scottish DNA Database, broken down by the power under which the profiles are retained.

Fergus Ewing: Section 18 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 (‘the 1995 Act’) gives the police powers to take DNA if a person is arrested or detained for an imprisonable offence, and to retain the DNA sample and profile indefinitely if the person is convicted in court. Section 18A of the 1995 Act gives a power to retain DNA from people prosecuted for, but not convicted of, a relevant sexual or violent offence for a period of three years, following which a chief constable can apply to a sheriff for extensions of up to two years. This legislation currently applies to children who are prosecuted in court, but not those who are dealt with in the children’s hearings system.

  DNA identifies individuals with a high degree of confidence and can be used to link individuals to, or eliminate them from, a criminal enquiry. The checking of profiles against crime scene samples can provide leads for unsolved crimes. The retention of DNA on conviction can also provide a means of identifying reoffending at a later date. Ultimately, these powers help to keep the public safe by providing an effective and efficient way of identifying individuals who commit crime.

  Tables 1 and 2 provide details of children whose DNA profiles are held on the Scottish DNA Database and the powers under which the profiles are retained. Table 3 provides details of children whose DNA profiles are held on the National DNA Database after being arrested in England and Wales.

  Table 1: Profiles Held Under Section 18 of the 1995 Act

  

Age Group
Number of Profiles Held Following Conviction
 Number of Profiles Held in Pending Cases
 All Profiles


 17
 914
 3,004
 3,918


 16
 179
 2,106
 2,285


 15
 35
 826
 861


 14
 18
 363
 381


 13
 7
 143
 150


 12
 2
 74
 76


 11
 1
 19
 20


 10
 0
 15
 15


 9
 0
 3
 3


 8
 0
 0
 0



  Source: Scottish DNA Database, 20 May 2009.

  Table 2: Profiles Held Under Section 18A of the 1995 Act

  

Age Group
Number of Profiles Held


 17
 0


 16
 8


 15
 2


 14
 1


 13
 0


 12
 0


 11
 0


 10
 0


 9
 0


 8
 0



  Source: Scottish DNA Database, 20 May 2009.

  Table 3: Profiles Held on the National DNA Database From Police Forces in England and Wales

  

Age Group
Number of Profiles Held


 17
 111,900


 16
 83,825


 15
 59,251


 14
 35,867


 13
 18,513


 12
 8,269


 11
 2,736


 10
 480



  Source: National Policing Improvement Agency, 5 June 2009.

Mental Health

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what methods it will use to help people stop smoking, be more active and eat more healthily, as stated in its news release of 7 May 2009 on its mental health improvement plan.

Shona Robison: A number of initiatives are in place to support this work.

  The Scottish Government and NHS Health Scotland, in consultation with the Royal College of Psychiatry and National Schizophrenia Fellowship, will review current evidence-based approaches on smoking cessation, weight management and physical activity for those experiencing mental health problems. Based on findings, a suite of user and carer-led health information, tailored for people with mental health problems, will be provided.

  Integrated Care Pathways (ICPs) for Mental Health have a focus on Physical Health Assessment and Management. This requires a general physical health assessment and management of the findings to be recorded. Services should then be provided that address diet, nutrition, exercise, alcohol consumption, drug misuse and sexual health in ways that are responsive to the needs of service users. Boards are currently undergoing a system of accreditation to ensure they are developing and implementing ICP’s.

  The Scottish Recovery Indicator Tool, designed to assess practice against expected values in a range of mental health services, has just been launched. This includes a measure for health improvement.

Mental Health

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to create awareness of dementia to help people spot its early signs, as stated in its news release of 7 May 2009 on its mental health improvement plan.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is committed to increasing awareness and early diagnosis for dementia.

  The Government is testing out an awareness raising campaign in Tayside which is aimed at raising the awareness of the symptoms of dementia and signposting those worried about significant changes to their memory to seek help and advice. Findings from this campaign will inform future work.

  In addition, NHS Health Scotland has recently produced several publications to raise awareness about dementia. Worried about your Memory? (Bib. number 47925) is aimed at helping people who are concerned about their memory to decide whether they should see a doctor and Facing Dementia: how to live well with your diagnosis (Bib. number 47926) provides practical information for people who have recently been diagnosed.

  Scotland’s first dementia strategy announced at the end of May 2009 will give further consideration to creating awareness of the symptoms of dementia.

  At local level the Mental Health Collaborative supports colleagues to ensure there are good systems and processes in place to increase the number of people identified with an early diagnosis of dementia in GP practices.

Mental Health

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) under the age of 18 and (b) 18 and over were diagnosed with (i) depression and (ii) anxiety in the Lothians region in each of the three years to March 2009.

Shona Robison: The requested information is not available.

Mental Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Care Commission and Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland’s report, Remember, I’m still me, what guidance it has issued with regard to allowing care home residents with dementia the opportunity to be taken outside.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Care Commission and Scottish Mental Welfare Commission Scotland’s report, Remember, I’m still me, what importance it places on ensuring that there is sufficient stimulation and activity for care home residents with dementia.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Care Commission and Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland’s report, Remember, I’m still me, what guidance it has issued on the importance of ensuring that care home residents with dementia have detailed personal plans.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Care Commission and Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland’s report, Remember, I’m still me, what guidance it has issued on the importance of ensuring that the likes and dislikes of care home residents with dementia are recorded as fully as possible.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Care Commission and Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland’s report, Remember, I’m still me, what action it is taking to ensure that covert medication for care home residents with dementia is undertaken legally.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Care Commission and Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland’s report, Remember, I’m still me, what importance it places on the need for quiet areas for people with dementia in care homes and what guidance it has issued to ensure that noise levels are not high.

Shona Robison: The National Care Standards for care homes were published in November 2001 and set out what residents in care homes can expect from the provider. The standards cover such things as personal plans and what should be recorded in them, indoor and outdoor activities, the physical environment, and the administration of medication.

  Remember, I’m still me highlighted a number of areas in which the care of older people with dementia in care homes needs to be improved. The report’s findings demonstrated that the requirements in the standards are not always being met and that guidance, such as that relating to Adults with Incapacity, is not always being followed.

  The Scottish Government accepted the recommendations made in the report and is fully committed to taking action to improve the quality and safety of care for those with dementia living in care homes.

  I announced on 28 May 2009 that we would be developing a national dementia strategy for Scotland to ensure that we deliver the dementia care that people need. The strategy will be developed in consultation with the Scottish Dementia Forum and other partners. The quality of care, treatment and support for people with dementia is one of the areas which will be considered as part of the strategy.

NHS Staff

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS staff are on long-term sick leave, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The number of employees 1 , by NHS board on long-term sick leave 2, 3  as at 31 March 2009 were:

  

 NHS Board Area
 Number


 NHS Scotland
 3,389


 National Waiting Times Centre
 26


 NHS 24
 32


 NHS Ayrshire and Arran
 250


 NHS Borders
 63


 NHS Dumfries and Galloway
 85


 NHS Education for Scotland
 11


 NHS Fife
 206


 NHS Forth Valley
 140


 NHS Grampian
 275


 NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 975


 NHS Highland
 178


 NHS Lanarkshire
 231


 NHS Lothian
 415


 NHS National Services Scotland
 62


 NHS Orkney
 15


 NHS Quality Improvement Scotland
 3


 NHS Shetland
 10


 NHS Tayside
 277


 NHS Western Isles
 22


 Scottish Ambulance Service
 87


 State Hospital
 30



  Source: SWISS (Scottish Workforce Information Standard System).

  Notes:

  1. Includes permanent and fixed term contract types.

  2. Sickness absence is defined as the following – Normal Sick Leave (SL), Unpaid Sick Leave (US), Industrial Injury (II), Accident involving a third party (AC), Injury resulting from a crime of violence (CV). These categories are all included in the figures.

  3. Long-term sick leave is defined as over 28 days sickness absence.

  Each NHS board has a sickness absence policy in place. Sickness absence targets have been set for each NHS board and these have been integrated into the objectives of chief executives and other board members.

NHS Staff

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment NHSScotland has made of the European Court of Justice ruling in relation to cases C-350/06 and C-520/06 on the carrying over of holiday entitlement during long-term sick leave and what additional cost is anticipated as a result of this decision.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government recognises the need to ensure that NHSScotland is complying with these rulings and issued a letter to all NHS boards in Scotland – CEL (2009)17 – on 30 April 2009. This letter clarifies the implications of the ruling for NHS employers and sets out the leave carry over entitlement from one leave year to the next which staff are entitled to under the European working time directive.

  As this ruling only affects staff who are on long-term sick leave for a period which spans the end of one leave year and the beginning of the next, and who have taken less than their European working time directive leave entitlement at that point, the numbers involved each year are likely to be relatively small.

  No national assessment of costs associated with the ruling has been undertaken as it is for boards locally to manage ongoing fluctuations in costs in the light of any changes to the law.

  Policies for employment issues, such as how staff are managed when on long-term sick leave, are guided by the Partnership Information Network (PIN) policy guideline on Managing Health at Work. This policy is currently under review and the implications of this ruling will be reflected in the revised policy.

NHS Staff

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of physiotherapists in each NHS board works as neurological physiotherapists.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally.

NHS Staff

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) physiotherapists, (b) occupational therapists and (c) speech and language therapists are employed by each NHS board, expressed as both headcount and full-time equivalents.

Nicola Sturgeon: Taken from nationally published data, the following table provides the number of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy staff employed by each NHS board, expressed in head count and whole-time equivalents, as at 30 September 2008.

  

 Allied Health Professionals
 Physiotherapy
 Occupational Therapy
 Speech and Language Therapy


Head Count
Whole-Time Equivalents
Head Count
Whole-Time Equivalents
Head Count
Whole-Time Equivalents


 NHS Borders
 78
 54.9
 58
 40.3
 30
 22.4


 NHS Fife
 230
 179.5
 183
 149.4
 76
 64.4


 NHS Lothian
 529
 411.7
 401
 322.0
 201
 135.4


 NHS Highland
 215
 174.0
 147
 120.0
 70
 56.1


 NHS Grampian
 327
 240.7
 259
 199.0
 134
 102.8


 NHS Orkney 
 16
 10.2
 14
 11.3
 5
 2.9


 NHS Tayside
 238
 186.9
 245
 201.4
 89
 74.0


 NHS Western Isles
 18
 15.8
 20
 17.3
 12
 10.0


 NHS Shetland
 12
 10.0
 7
 5.2
 4
 3.5


 NHS Ayrshire and Arran
 257
 202.3
 184
 155.1
 72
 61.8


 NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 870
 720.8
 612
 534.4
 279
 232.8


 NHS Lanarkshire
 258
 217.0
 212
 179.1
 135
 111.9


 NHS Forth Valley
 149
 122.1
 123
 100.3
 77
 64.0


 NHS Dumfries and Galloway
 88
 67.3
 65
 55.2
 37
 30.5


 National Bodies and Special Health Boards
 21
 18.8
 49
 46.3
 nil
 nil


 NHS Scotland Total
 3,306
 2631.7
 2579
 2136.4
 1221
 972.6



  Source: Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland.

  Note: Data as at 30 September 2008.

NHS Staff

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many occupational therapists are employed by (a) NHS Lothian and (b) NHSScotland, expressed as both headcount and full-time equivalents.

Nicola Sturgeon: The following table details the number of occupational therapy staff employed by NHS Lothian and NHSScotland expressed as head count and whole-time equivalents, as at 30 September 2008.

  

 Occupational Therapy NHS Scotland
 Head Count
 Whole-Time Equivalents


 NHS Lothian
 401
 322.0


 NHSScotland 
 2,579
 2,136.4



  Source: Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland.

  Note: Data as at 30 September 2008.

NHS Staff

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how the role of rehabilitation coordinators is being evaluated locally and nationally and whether the results of any evaluation will be published.

Nicola Sturgeon: The National Implementation Group for the Delivery Framework for Adult Rehabilitation is overseeing a national implementation plan which includes high impact changes, key actions and deliverables in the way rehabilitation services are delivered throughout NHS board areas. The role of the rehabilitation co-ordinators will be measured against the implementation of the high impact changes.

  In addition to their remit of re-designing rehabilitation services, rehabilitation co-ordinators will carry out a specific impact evaluation project in their NHS board area. Not all evaluation projects have yet been determined. However, agreed evaluations include the NHS 24 physiotherapy advice and referral management project in Lothian, the falls management programme in NHS Ayrshire and Arran and the musculoskeletal pathway in NHS Lanarkshire. All of these evaluations will be carried out within a two year time frame.

  The results of any evaluation will be published on the rehabilitation website and, if appropriate, in relevant peer reviewed journals www.rehabilitationframework.scot.nhs.uk.

NHS Waiting Times

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the waiting time is to see (a) a physiotherapist, (b) an occupational therapist and (c) a speech and language therapist for assessment in each NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: At present, there is no waiting time data collected nationally for the allied health professions including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. Waiting times are variable across Scotland and it is for individual NHS boards to provide the level of service required based on priority and local need. However, the Scottish Government is currently working with Information Services Division to review the current data collected on allied health professions services.

  In addition, the Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that patients have swift and safe access to the full range of services they need from NHS Scotland and allied health professionals are already included in delivering patient care and treatment which has cut waiting times for patients across Scotland. Treatment can include triage, assessment and therapeutic interventions by physiotherapists and other allied health professionals in both hospital and community settings sometimes avoiding the need for consultant referral. Allied health professionals have an important role to play in delivering better, faster care in a variety of roles and settings.

Schools

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving in schools to children with type 1 diabetes.

Keith Brown: The Scottish Government believes that all children in Scotland, including those with diabetes, should be able to enjoy a full school life because their school gives them the necessary support.

  Legislation, policy and guidance are in place to support this commitment. For example, the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 requires education authorities to identify, meet and keep under review the additional support needs of all pupils for whose education they are responsible, including those who have additional support needs arising from type 1 diabetes. The act emphasises the importance of effective multi-agency working. Meeting the needs of each individual pupil lies at the heart of this legislation.

  In addition to the legislation to support schools and local authorities, the Scottish Government has produced Safe and Well guidance which provides a range of advice on issues which may affect children and young people while they are attending school. The guidance contains specific advice on the development of health care plans to meet the needs of individual pupils, including administration of medicines.

  NHS boards have statutory responsibility for the medical inspection, supervision and treatment of pupils in schools, including the administration of medicines, and education authorities help them to discharge this responsibility. They have a duty to ensure that they have suitably trained staff in place and to make appropriate arrangements and provision for children with diabetes. No child should go through school without their needs being identified and addressed.

Schools

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children in primary schools are registered as having diabetes.

Keith Brown: The information requested is not held centrally.

  However, there are currently 1,197 children aged between five and 12 years diagnosed with diabetes in Scotland.

Schools

Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what training is given to teachers to help them assist children who have diabetes and require additional help during the school day.

Keith Brown: Guidance on the Administration of Medicines in Schools emphasises that school staff who have volunteered to administer regular or emergency medication to a pupil, should receive detailed training from a health professional. Although the content of training courses is the responsibility of NHS boards, the guidance states that for diabetes, this should, as a minimum, cover an understanding of the condition, the importance of diet and the symptoms of hypoglycaemia. Staff should also be aware of the emergency treatment for low blood sugar and how to measure blood sugar levels.

Sport

Lewis Macdonald (Aberdeen Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24069 by Shona Robison on 1 June 2009, how much each project has been awarded, broken down by year and local authority area.

Shona Robison: The information requested on funding for the Youth Action Plan for Football, broken down by year and local authority area, is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.

  The member may wish to contact the Scottish Football Association, which has overall leadership of the Youth Action Plan.

Suicide

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to implement a confidential suicide register, as stated in Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland: Policy and Action Plan.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has asked NHS Health Scotland to establish a National Suicide Register. This will bring together relevant agencies from a range of sectors and will provide significant detail around individuals who have completed suicide; it will examine causal factors regarding suicide and will inform development of future policy and practice on suicide prevention. It is intended that a specification for the register will be available by the end of 2009. The development of the register itself is likely to take around two years beyond that.

Young Offenders

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to produce national guidance to ensure consistency in approach, values and practices of secure units for young people.

Adam Ingram: The national care standards set out the standard of care that a young person can expect from any care service including secure care. They aim to ensure a consistent standard of service provision and are underpinned by a set of values care providers are expected to adopt.

  The Care Commission is responsible for the regulation of secure units and has enforcement powers which it can use where services fail to meet the requirements set out in the legislation and the national care standards.

Young Offenders

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that young people entering secure units have a clear understanding of the secure care system.

Adam Ingram: The national care standards set out the standard of care that a young person can expect from any care service including secure care. They require the young person to have up-to-date information on the care home, and staff are expected to explain responsibilities, rules and policies in a way young people can easily understand.

Young Offenders

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to develop an information pack for distribution to young people entering secure units.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government has funded two booklets on children’s rights for children and young people being looked after away from home, one specifically aimed at those in secure care. These booklets are being used as part of a package of information local authorities will provide to children and young people when they enter secure care.

Young Offenders

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that young people in secure care have access to independent information and advice.

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to ensure that young people in secure units have the opportunity to speak to an independent advocate.

Adam Ingram: The national care standards require young people to have access to other agencies and services including advocacy. Young people in secure care have access to Who Cares? Scotland staff, children’s rights officers or other independent advocacy organisations, including legal representation. The Care Commission takes into account the national care standards when inspecting secure care services.

  Responding to the recommendations of the recently published Independent Inquiry into Abuse at Kerelaw Residential School and Secure Unit, the Scottish Government recently announced its intention to commission a national survey to identify the access, availability and funding of advocacy services to children. We will seek to publish a report by the end of 2009.

Young Offenders

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure a consistent approach across secure units to consulting the young people in their care and involving them in the development of their care plans.

Adam Ingram: Local authorities have a duty to make a care plan for all their looked after children, including young people in secure care. This is monitored as part of inspection. The forthcoming Looked After Children (Scotland) Regulations 2009 seek to ensure that the young person is at the centre of decisions and require that young people are consulted about their care plan.

Young Offenders

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to produce national guidance to aid consistency in the use of single separation in secure units for young people.

Adam Ingram: The use of single separation should be covered within existing guidance for care staff and all incidences of single separation should be recorded. These records are monitored during inspections by the Care Commission.

  In addition, I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24554 on 12 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Young Offenders

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to ensure that secure units for young people have a clearly designated quiet room for time-out purposes and that all staff are trained in the different uses of quiet rooms compared with other interventions.

Adam Ingram: Some secure care services have clearly designated quiet rooms. However, it would not be appropriate or practical for all services to have them. Where time out is necessary, existing rooms – including young people’s bedrooms – can be used for this purpose. The Care Commission monitors the use of time out during inspections.

Young Offenders

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to produce national guidance to aid consistency in relation to the use of physical intervention and restraint in secure units for young people, including guidance for the relevant young people on the circumstances in which physical intervention and restraint may be necessary.

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to produce national guidance on the use of and justification for searches in secure units for young people.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government has asked the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care to work with secure care providers and partners to consider strengthening the current guidelines and standards on the use of restraint and other associated measures.

Young Offenders

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to develop a single nationally accredited system of training and independent monitoring for the teaching and other staff of secure units for young people to ensure consistency across units.

Adam Ingram: The training and regulation of staff of secure care services, including teaching staff, is a matter for the General Teaching Council, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education, the Care Commission and the Scottish Social Services Council.

Young Offenders

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is taking measures to ensure that secure units for young people employ a consistent approach to rules, visits, phone usage, mobility and sanctions.

Adam Ingram: The national care standards set out what young people can expect from care services including secure care. They aim to ensure a consistent standard of service provision and are underpinned by a set of values care providers are expected to adopt.

  The Care Commission is responsible for regulation of secure units and has enforcement powers which it can use where services fail to meet the requirements set out in the legislation and the national care standards.

Young Offenders

Karen Whitefield (Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that secure units for young people are adequately staffed and resourced.

Adam Ingram: Staffing levels in secure care services are agreed between the Care Commission and the provider. The Care Commission has enforcement powers which it can use where services fail to meet the requirements set out in the legislation and the national care standards.

  The resourcing of the independent secure care services is a matter for the owners and boards of managers of the services.